Ali KHAMRAEV Али ХАМРАЕВ Ali KHAMRAEV   USSR (Uzbekistan), 1972, 84 mn  Colour, fiction

The Seventh Bullet ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ Седьмая пуля    La Septième balle  Sedmaya pulya

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Plot synopsis

One of the many Red Westerns directly inspired - even in the title - by the hugely popular American classic The Magnificent Seven (1960). Made by the rediscovered master of Soviet/Uzbek (and world) cinema Ali Khamraev.
Uzbekistan in the 1920s: Bolshevik commander Maksumov returns to the Uchkurgan settlement after spending a few days in the regional capital. He finds the place devastated and depopulated. His opponent, Hayrullah, a leader of the anti-Soviet bandits known as basmachi, has not only defeated the Red Army troops but also convinced more than a hundred of them to switch sides. Maksumov decides to go to the lion’s den on his own in order to confront the enemy.
Among the film’s strengths is a credible evocation of impending doom during the opening episodes, created by Aleksandr Pann’s camera - with wide, dust-filled vistas of devastation and hopelessness. The film, as with many other Red Westerns, uses the exotic nature of Central Asia to impressive visual effect. The chase and fight scenes are staged in a professional manner. Interestingly, both the habits and rituals of the native population are depicted with similar degrees of authenticity and respect.
www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com

 

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Commentaries and bibliography

 

One of the many Red Westerns directly inspired - even in the title - by the hugely popular American classic The Magnificent Seven (1960). Made by the rediscovered master of Soviet/Uzbek (and world) cinema Ali Khamraev.
Uzbekistan in the 1920s: Bolshevik commander Maksumov returns to the Uchkurgan settlement after spending a few days in the regional capital. He finds the place devastated and depopulated. His opponent, Hayrullah, a leader of the anti-Soviet bandits known as basmachi, has not only defeated the Red Army troops but also convinced more than a hundred of them to switch sides. Maksumov decides to go to the lion’s den on his own in order to confront the enemy. Among the film’s strengths is a credible evocation of impending doom during the opening episodes, created by Aleksandr Pann’s camera - with wide, dust-filled vistas of devastation and hopelessness. The film, as with many other Red Westerns, uses the exotic nature of Central Asia to impressive visual effect. The chase and fight scenes are staged in a professional manner. Interestingly, both the habits and rituals of the native population are depicted with similar degrees of authenticity and respect.

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Selected in the following festivals :

- Rotterdam International Film Festival, Rotterdam (Netherlands), 2011

- Era New Horizons IFF, Wroclaw (Poland), 2011

- Vesoul International Asiatic Film Festival, Vesoul (France), 2006

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